Around the World and Back: Getting started in Auckland

We are relaxing in the "sitting room" of Leila's house (our host from airbnb.com) after a nice lunch and another long walk around the city. One of the three cats is sleeping on the couch next to us and the sun is out. All in all, things are really great so far. Brian and I both expected that Auckland would be just another big city we'd want to get in and out of as quickly as possible, but that isn't that case. We are staying in Ponsonby, described as a hip "suburb" of Auckland. I have come to realize that "suburbs" here are not the same as those at home... I think it's actually the Kiwi word for "neighborhood." Ponsonby is wonderful. The main street, which we have walked up and down many, many times in the last 2 1/2 days is chock full of boutiques, gourmet food shops, hip restaurants and bistros and yoga studios. I feel right at home! And after realizing how wrong I was about how I'd feel about Auckland, I have the feeling I am going to fall in love with every single place we go in the next year...

After a long 24 hours of traveling we were greeted so warmly at the Auckland airport! It was almost disturbing how friendly everyone was right away- not something I'm used to at airports in the US. While going through customs, the officer was almost apologetic while asking kindly to look through a few things we had brought. All the things I've heard about Kiwis being friendly have been true so far! We were able to get a shuttle right away which dropped us off at the door of our temporary home, where our host has been accommodating, friendly, and extremely helpful with tips and maps and guidebooks.

On our first day we had a fantastic Indian dinner down the street from our house and then walked downtown and to the North Wharf to watch the sunset. It was beautiful and the pier was all decked out for the Rugby World Cup, which is an obsession in this country. We were just noticing that every single business, storefront and home has at the very least an All Blacks flag hanging up, even the banks! There are billboards and murals all over the city adorned with photos of the beloved rugby team. I was a little nervous that we'd arrive and it would just be absolute mayhem in the city, but despite the subtle buzz of excitement it seems to still be pretty relaxed. Maybe we're just too far away from the stadium to notice it. :)

Yesterday was spent tending to business... which is probably going to be the worst/most stressful part of this year, which is why we'd like to get it all over with in the first week. We are in the process of buying a car from the Backpackers Car Market and should have a Subaru Grand Legacy in our possession by Monday or Tuesday! The car market is nice because the people working there are not pushy like used car salespeople and they have no incentive to push cars on you, because backpackers are the ones who will make the profit off of the car, and they are paying the lot to hold and display their car there. One of the guys working there took us out for a test drive in the Subaru and said that he thought it was the best car on the lot that he'd seen all month and it came back from its mechanical inspection with a nearly clean bill of health (very rare). This is all great news because if we take good care of the car, we should be able to sell it back once we're done with it for the same or close to the same price we are buying it for. Now the issue is trying to get enough money out of the bank to pay for it in a timely fashion without getting ripped off with transaction fees. So far, no luck there. I'll keep you posted. If anyone has experience with a cheap way to wire money overseas... we'd love your advice! :)

One thing Brian and I are trying to work on right now is fighting the urge to get caught up in our "vacation mentality," which is difficult in such a darling neighborhood with many culinary delights to offer... Money is burning up quickly with the purchase of a car, insurance, and cell phones, with no real income in sight. We are thinking of trying to find some temporary work right away, instead of waiting a few months, so that we can replenish some of the immediate funds spent.

I am so happy here! This place is already amazing, and we're just in the big city now... I can't wait to see what the unpopulated areas of New Zealand have to offer. It turns out almost half of the entire country's population lives here in Auckland, which leaves not much to be dispersed around the rest of the islands. I know it sounds so cheesy, but it's true: there are so many new experiences and adventures to be had this year, it's almost mind blowing. I can barely wrap my brain around it. Might have to go take a nap ;)